Favors and Promises
by Ruemaja
Summary: For Luciana Costa. JoshuaNeku It wasn’t that she hated the Composer. It was just a little… different after all, if the guy killed one of your closets friends, even if they brought him back, wouldn’t you at least dislike the person who did it?


The idea for this fic belongs to Luciana Costa. Luciana graciously allowed me to borrow the idea and thanks to her, my writer's block disappeared. Thank you very much! :D I would like to dedicate this and the next few fics to her, if that's alright. I hope you'll like it. Thank you very much. :D

This is set after "Momentary Bliss". I'm working on writing the next fic after this and hopefully be able post it soon... This is a JoshuaxNeku fic with a little Shiki on the side. I hope they're not too ooc...

Thank you very much.

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**"Favors and Promises"**

**First Part:**

"Misaki, I need your help."

Shiki was surprised, to say the least.

The Composer, Kiryuu, had never shown up in their atelier without Neku before. The scent of his familiar cologne floated in the air. It wasn't that she hated the Composer. It was just a little… _different_ after all, if the guy killed one of your closets friends, even if they brought him back, wouldn't you at least dislike the person who did it? It was rational, when one thought about it, to _dislike _him but Neku accepted the Composer into his life. And Shiki, though wary at first, was supportive enough.

Neku eased her into the idea and though she really did _dislike _the Composer at first, she also saw that he was good for her friend.

After all, just as long as the Composer didn't try to hurt Neku in any way again, they were cool. Or else, she'd killed the bloody bastard, spit on his burning body and leave it to the crows to eat. She didn't hesitate to tell him that too.

It led to a lot of interesting conversations that Neku had been forced to sit through, trying to calm her down. Shiki was always over-protective of him sometimes. But Neku didn't mind because he felt the same way about her too. They all did.

"Misaki, I need your help."

Shiki looked up from her sewing, pushed her glasses back against her face with a finger, slightly irritated as she tucked a short lock of her brown hair behind her ear. The new designs from Eiri just came and there was a fashion show in a few months so she was plenty busy. She hoped it wasn't anything strange or unimportant. But Kiryuu actually looked serious enough to convince her that _something _must've happened between him and Neku. And she hoped to _god! _he didn't do anything stupid again.

The atelier was a little messy with cloths and beads and dresses half-thrown over the racks and chairs and tables. Shiki was usually very orderly so it was a little strange to find almost everything haphazardly thrown everywhere. Sometimes Neku teases her of being obsessive compulsive but the truth is that she just liked her place in order. Besides, who wants to accidentally sit on a needle just because she left it there?

The busy humming of the sewing machine was heard in tune to the rhythm of Sibuya's busy streets.

"What's wrong, Kiryuu?" Shiki asked and returned to her sewing.

Up and down the needle of the machine went and it hummed energetically as she moved the cloth smoothly through. She never called the Composer by his real name or even nickname. Rhyme did and Beat just called him 'Yosh" or something like that but she didn't. She didn't want to call him by his nickname because for her it meant that she forgave him for killing Neku.

She can't forgive him even if Neku had.

The Composer walked closer to where she sat, watching as the threads weaved in and out of the cloth, making a design. Nearby, Mr. Mew, unmindful of their conversation, sat on a soft cushion made by the clothes and laces and other materials for dressmaking. The hum of the machine and of Shibuya's living breath outside continued.

"I don't have time so I'll make it brief." He said.

Shiki listened as the cloth ran through the machine.

"It's about Neku, Misaki." The Composer said. "Neku is—!"

The machine stopped as the words were spoken. Shiki stared at the Composer, eyes wide and unbelieving as his lips moved and the words hung in the air. Shibuya seemed to hold its breath for a moment or maybe it was just her but she could've sworn everything stopped. The Composer looked away, bitterly, running a hand through his pale hair. Shiki angrily stood up and grabbed his collar, fury in her eyes.

"_What did you do, Kiryuu?!" _ She screamed at his face and shook him.

The Composer was taller than she was and more powerful. But _dammit! _It was her friend they were talking about! A friend she'd walk hell over and back and _damn him _if he ever did anything wrong, Composer or no Composer.

But he made no move to stop her, only accepting her anger because he understood one way or the other why. Shiki gritted her teeth and pushed him away and leaned against the machine's table, trying to calm herself down.

"If that's true… then why are _you _still here?" She muttered. "If Neku's who you say he is now then, why are _you _still here?!"

The Composer looked away. "Because it's what he wanted." He replied then turned to him. "I'm living on borrowed time. But it won't last much longer…" He bit his lip. "Not much time and he'll be in danger if I don't act fast…"

Shiki stood up, eye wide. "Neku will be in danger?"

The Composer nodded. "Soon." He replied and held out his arms. "When I disappear, he will be. I already asked Shibuya to take care of him but I'm not sure if…" He started to pace around the room, walking over various cotton and silk and velvet. He stopped and turned to Shiki. "That's why I need your help."

"This isn't another game, is it, Kiryuu?" She asked arms akimbo. Mr. Mew slipped from his seat and fell sideways, amongst the beads and the velvet and silk.

"No." He replied, tiredly. "It is not."

Shiki sat back down. "I-is that why…?" She murmured.

"Yes…" He whispered. "Because it was the only way."

Shiki took a trembling sigh. "I see…" she paused. "Then why hasn't he…?"

The Composer smiled, sadly. "Because he didn't want to." He replied.

"You can fix this, can't you?" Shiki asked, slowly.

"I will do what I can." He replied. "I don't have much time but I'll do everything I can…"

"How much time do you have?"

Kiryuu didn't answer. Instead, he squatted and straightened Mr. Mew so he was sitting up again. Shibuya's hum continued to grow but her sewing machine remained quiet. The dress that she was sewing, half-done and a little open, slid down the desk to the floor. And Shiki knew.

The clock ticked away as the moments continued to move mercilessly.

"Does Neku know…?" She asked, quietly.

"I'll tell him tonight…" Kiryuu replied and used a bit of his will to make Mr. Mew stand up and dance around them, the same way Shiki used to be able to do back then in the game, fighting alongside Neku.

"I'll tell him before I…" His voices trailed as Mr. Mew walked over to Shiki and tugged at her skirt and held out its stuffed arms. Shiki picked him up and embraced it, tightly.

"I see…"

From where she stood, she could see one of Kiryuu's hands fading and then reappearing. The sun was setting outside and the hum of Shibuya seemed to quiet down just a little in anticipation for what was to come. Kiryuu stood up and turned to her.

"I need a favor, Misaki."

Shiki looked at the Composer and took a deep breath. They had an understanding. Because both of them loved the same person after all. And Neku always went out of his way to help them. If playing in the game hasn't made them all close to each other then, what could?

"On one condition." She said.

Kiryuu—_Joshua_ she thought.—looked a little surprised. "What is it?" He asked, quietly.

Shiki steeled herself. Sure, Neku would always be with Joshua and Neku's her friend through life and death. Maybe even closer and more than she could ever be with Eri but Neku will always be with Joshua no matter what. Whether Shibuya fell or not, Neku will always be with Joshua and she will always be their friend, no matter what.

"Make sure you return, Joshua." She said. "If you don't, I'll personally look for your dead body, burn it and leave it the crows to eat!"

Kiryuu Yoshiya, the Composer laughed and Shibuya laughed with him. Shiki blushed and knew it was a very unlady-like remark but could she help it? It was just the way things worked after all.

"Thank you, Shiki…"

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**Second Part:**

Shiki sat by the counter with a small smile, drinking the vanilla frappe Neku prepared for her. Her dark brown hair was longer now and she let it flow down her back. It wasn't as long as Eri's used to be but she liked her hair longer and she wore the dress Eri designed and she sewed. It was a nice Saturday and Shiki decided she needed a short break from her sewing.

Eri was at the shop so she wasn't too worried. Although she does wonder about that new saleslady they took in a few days ago. She can be such a klutz sometimes.

There was that familiar scent of coffee in the air and of cologne she knew only one person wore.

_Ah, he's still here… _She thought, cheerfully. He was still here, one way or the other.

She turned to Neku who was speaking calmly to a young man whom she knew to be the New Composer. There was a meow by her side and she turned. It wasn't Mr. Mew because he's only a stuffed toy so she wasn't surprised to see a white cat with purple-blue eyes looking at her.

She recognized that look. She'd recognize it in any form after all. Slowly she reached out and picked it up, running her fingers through its soft white fur. She felt a strange spark in it and that mischievous look in the cat's eyes told her it wasn't what it seemed to be.

She allowed it to sit beside her as they both turned to the New Composer biting his lower lip as Neku turned away from him to get the beans he needed to make a new batch of coffee. The New Composer (she always forgets his name) looked at her and gave her a small smile but his smile disappeared as the cat straightened itself to look at him eye to eye.

The New Composer looked away and strode hurriedly out the café.

"I see what you mean now." Shiki said to the cat. "And you're right…"

She stirred her drink as Neku approached her with an awkward smile on his face to apologize to her because _that kid _interrupted their talk.

"He really is trouble." She remarked, looking at the Composer's disappearing form.

"What?" Neku asked.

Shiki shook her head with a smile.

"Nothing, Neku. I was just wondering when did you get a cat?"

The white cat meowed and walked over to Neku, rubbing its body against Neku's legs. Neku nearly jumped out of his skin but laughed at the white cat which was not quite a real cat at all. Shiki continued to smile.

_Neku will always be with Joshua… _Shiki thought, cheerfully as Neku scolded the cat. _Even if... _

Shibuya hummed.

**END**

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Please forgive me, I hope it's alright. It's a little hard to write something that's supposed to be a bit sad when you're watching Neku and Joshua doing the Caramelldanssen in a flash animation. XD I'm sorry... I'm sorry...


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